Minister: Obanikoro’s confirmation tears senate apart

By Turaki A. Hassan | Publish Date: Mar 12 2015 4:00AM

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The Senate has yesterday confirmed the nomination of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as minister along with seven others despite stiff opposition by senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC).Mr. Obanikoro, a former minister of state for Defence, is engrossed in a scandal over an alleged meeting he held with Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh and other PDP chieftains to rig the Ekiti State governorship election last year.An Army Captain, Sagir Koli recoded the conversation and later released it to the media.

Last week, the Senate delayed the former minister’s confirmation following a petition against him tabled by the three Senators from Lagos State. Few minutes into the session, Senator Bukola Saraki (APC, Kwara), moved a point of order citing Order 16 of the Senate standing rules under matters of privilege.Saraki reminded Senate President David Mark that last week, the Senate had decided that it will hold a closed-door meeting before commencing the ministerial screening but the senate president ruled him out of order. In the same vein, Senator Gbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos), raised another point of order citing Order 53 (5) which prohibits making reference to any matter for which a judicial decision is pending and may affect the interest of the parties thereto.However, Senator Mark, ruled Ashafa out of order arguing that he was not served with the court papers. “Nobody has served me. I am running away? I cannot be served on the pages of newspapers. That is not the way to serve the senate president,” he said.Dissatisfied with the ruling, Senator Babajide Omowuware (APC, Osun), moved yet another point of order.He said there is a case pending before a Lagos High Court in which the plaintiff is arguing that Obanikoro is not fit to hold public office.Omowuware contended that whatever decision the senate takes on the matter will be prejudicial and that although the senate president has discretion to decide on the issue, caution should be exercised judiciously and not arbitrarily.Similarly, Senator Mark ruled Omowuware out of order insisting that he cannot be served on the pages of newspaper.At this stage, Senators Mudashiru Hussein (APC, Osun) and Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi), began hurling insults at each other.The situation degenerated further when Hussein removed his cap and headed straight to square it up with Adeyemi but he was blocked by other senators. Again, Senator Hussein and Ehigie Uzamere (PDP, Edo) got entangled in yet another verbal insult. Other lawmakers, however, intervened, even as the situation became intermittently rowdy.On his part, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), appealed to the senate president to protect the integrity, credibility and honour of the senate as the highest lawmaking body in Nigeria by ensuring that they don’t compromise their stance. Mark again waved the appeal.The opposition senators continued to push harder when Senator Ganiyu Solomon raised another point of order and reminded that the opposition have not been “unnecessarily” partisan.Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi (APC, Ekiti), moved yet another point of order citing Order 15 of the Senate rules reminding the senate president that not to stop Obanikoro’s confirmation amounted to double standard.According to him, he had approached Mark to allow him table a motion seeking to institute an investigation into the alleged Ekiti State election rigging tape but that Mark told him that the matter was in court.Senator Mark admitted to discussing the matter with Adetumbi in private.Mark said since the senate is caught between allowing their former colleagues to take a bow and go and the one which says if a nominee is endorsed by at least 2 out of the 3 senators from a state, the best he could do is to put the question and not to differ the confirmation. At this stage, the APC senators walked out of the chamber and distancing themselves from any decision taken on Obanikoro’s nomination.He then put the question as to whether Obanikoro should take a bow and go and the majority PDP lawmakers answered in the affirmative.Speaking to journalists, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume (APC, Benue), accused Mark of being “dishonourable” for dismissing the court cases cited for which he was a party.

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